BCU expects to hire new CEO by May

Battle Creek Unlimited plans to have a new CEO on the job by May, the economic development organization said Friday.

The process to replace former President and CEO Karl Dehn began last fall with a goal of hiring someone by January. In the meantime, Jim Hettinger, who headed BCU for nearly 30 years before retiring in 2009, is overseeing the organization with assistance from former City Manager Rance Leaders.

In a news release, BCU said it hired Mississippi-based firm The PACE Group in December to lead the search, which is expected by mid-March to give a list of the top candidates to a search committee. Of that, finalists will be chosen for two-phase interviews with BCU staff and the search committee and will participate in a meet-and-greet session with “key stakeholders,” BCU said.

Stakeholders include Battle Creek city commissioners, the BCU board, the Downtown Partnership Committee, the Global Food Protection Institute and Calhoun County Administrator Kelli Scott. Local foundations, nonprofits and businesses in the Fort Custer Industrial Park and downtown also have been identified.

The PACE Group sent a needs assessment survey to 125 stakeholders in January and conducted in-person interviews with the search committee and BCU staff, gathering information on education, experience management and leadership capabilities.

Sara Wallace, chairperson of the search committee, said survey responses will be considered when reviewing candidates’ applications. She said she hopes the search firm will provide as many as 10 top candidates, which will ultimately be narrowed down to two candidates by the final round of interviews.

Wallace said the committee wants to officially hire someone by April.

“We just wanted to make sure we took our time and did the best for BCU and the community,” she said. “And if that meant it took a little more time we were OK with that.”